Razer Orochi now shipping in limited quantities, we go hands-on

Remember when Razer introduced its first-ever mobile gaming mouse? No worries -- July was indeed a long, long time ago. At any rate, the Bluetooth 2.0 / USB Orochi, which was engineered to fit within knapsacks and backpacks of road warriors the world over, is now shipping to both US and EU customers... on a limited basis, anyway. Razer claims that stock is arriving in spurts, and if you're greeted with a "sold out" message, there's a special sign-up page to be notified of when the next batch comes in. So, why the fuss?

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Razer Orochi now shipping in limited quantities, we go hands-on

For starters, it's a darn good mouse. We toyed around with it in both Bluetooth and USB modes, and as with every other Razer mouse we've used, this one was buttery smooth, precise and comfortable in the hand. It's marginally smaller than Logitech's Anywhere Mouse MX, wonderfully lightweight and tailor made for both righties and southpaws. The company's patented "clicking" scroll wheel is definitely here, and all six dedicated buttons (left / right plus four side buttons) were easy to reach and exhibited the perfect amount of travel. At $79.99, the Orochi boasts the exact same MSRP as the aforementioned Anywhere Mouse MX, making it surprisingly competitive in terms of value. We can't say we'd recommend using this for an all-night fragfest, but it'll certainly handle sniping far better than any other travel mouse we've seen.

In related news, we also had a chance to whisk this critter about on the $19.99 Kabuto ultra-soft, grippy-backed surface, and while it's not quite as spacious as the gargantuan Megasoma, it's a fantastic size for those on the go. Oh, and it's really, really light and easy to roll up, which is definitely a plus when you're throwing things together to make that last-minute flight. As far as high-quality gaming mats go, a Jackson isn't too much to ask, and while Razer generally charges a healthy premium for its wares, we're actually pretty satisfied with the price point here. Have a look around in the gallery if you're into that kind of thing.